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Rider War
attack on Farthen Dûr in the video game]] The Rider War was the name given to the war in which Eragon fought. The war was fought between the Empire, the established government of Alagaësia, and a rebel organization called the Varden. After Eragon, a Dragon Rider, entered the conflict on the side of the Varden, the war took a dramatic turn. Both sides attempted to control the remnants of the dragon race, which had been all but exterminated during the Dragon War. Galbatorix, ruler of the Empire, sought to revive the Dragon Riders and conscript them into his own service, and the war became a personal affair for Eragon after his half-brother, Murtagh, became a Rider on the side of the Empire. Origins King Galbatorix had taken over the vast majority of Alagaësia after he destroyed the Dragon Riders during the Dragon War. A former Dragon Rider by the name of Brom formed a resistance force called the Varden, who allied themselves with the elves, dwarves, and later the Urgals. Galbatorix, however, was supported by a Shade named Durza, who cast a binding spell over the Urgal race. Pre-war violence Though the war officially started with the Battle under Farthen Dûr, there was a great deal of violence and death long before the two sides truly declared war. The fall of the Forsworn The Varden assassinated many of the Forsworn, former Dragon Riders who supported Galbatorix. Brom knew that the Forsworn had to be eliminated before the Empire could be overthrown. Thanks to his efforts and those of the Varden, all of the Forsworn were dead by the beginning of the war, but the unofficial battles was in Morzan's lifetime. The Mission to Urû'baen With the help of a Varden agent named Jeod, Brom planned a surprise raid on Urû'baen in order to capture the three dragon eggs in Galbatorix's possession. For an unknown reason, the rebel contact was not able to complete the mission, and stole only one of the three eggs. The Race Hefring, the man sent to steal the eggs, ran from both the Varden and Galbatorix to try to keep the egg. Brom raced Morzan across the country to try to get the egg back. Morzan got there before Brom, killed Hefring and got the egg. Morzan's downfall Brom met Morzan at Gil'ead and killed Morzan and his dragon. Brom stole the egg, gave it to the Varden and hid in Carvahall to watch over his son. The Great Ambush A couple months before the war, the Varden launched a small-scale offensive against the Imperial forces. The result was the loss of three of Galbatorix's brigades. Galbatorix sent Murtagh to destroy a village where the Varden were said to be hiding as a result. The Empire captures an Elf As war neared, Galbatorix wanted to make sure he remained the only faction allied to the remaining dragons. He assigned his most trusted general, Durza, to capture Arya, the carrier of the stolen dragon egg. Durza took a company of Urgals and ambushed Arya and her guards as they traveled through a forest in northern Alagaësia; otherwise known as Du Weldenvarden. The Urgals killed the two elf guards and captured Arya. She was able to teleport the egg accidentally to Eragon, however, and prevented it from being captured. The Northern Massacres The farming communities in the northern part of the Empire had become angry with the Imperial government for raising the taxes to a nearly unpayable level. Galbatorix saw the northern farmers as a threat, and Urgals under his command slaughtered an entire village for supposedly aiding the Varden. This plan backfired on Galbatorix, however, as it only served to strengthen anti-Imperial feelings. Battles *Battle of Daret *Massacre at Yazuac Battle of Ithrö Zhâda The Urgal army under Durza the Shade launched a surprise attack on the dwarven city of Orthíad, later renamed Ithrö Zhâda by Galbatorix. All but one of the dwarves were killed in the attack. Durza then used secret tunnels found in the city to attack Farthen Dûr. The Skirmish outside Farthen Dûr When Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh, and Arya fled to Farthen Dûr, they were followed by a legion of Kull. The party was rescued by Varden warriors and, after the short battle, were taken inside for questioning. Eragon was inspected by the Twins only after insisting Arya be taken cared of (from poisoning due to Shade Durza's torture in Gil'ead). Murtagh refuses to be inspected and is benevolently imprisoned (The term 'benevolently' is used because he was not only an ambiguous threat to the Varden and inhabitants of Farthen Dur, but knowledge of his father as Morzan would have enraged the public and harm Murtagh. This is explained by Ajihad to Eragon in the first novel). The War The Battle under Farthen Dûr The war officially began when Galbatorix ordered his Urgal armies to attack the Varden headquarters at Farthen Dûr, which also served as the dwarves' capital. This battle triggered sympathy for the Varden, and support when they emerged victorious, thanks to Durza's death at the hands of Eragon who was aided by Arya and Saphira. Aftermath of the battle Days after the Varden victory, there were still enemy Urgals scattered throughout the many tunnels around Farthen Dûr. Ajihad, Murtagh, and the Twins were chosen to hunt down the remaining Urgals. Their search party was unexpectedly attacked by Urgal warriors, however, and Ajihad was killed. Murtagh and the Twins were captured and presumed dead. Later, it was revealed that the Twins had been working undercover for the Empire, and took the opportunity to capture Morzan's son. While he was being held captive, the dragon, Thorn, hatched for Murtagh. King Galbatorix then forced Murtagh to swear allegiance to him in the Ancient Language. The Varden move to Surda Although the battle was a success for the Varden, the loss of Ajihad and the depletion in the dwarves' supplies forced the new Varden leader, Nasuada, to lead the Varden to Surda and their ally, King Orrin. Their presence in Surda was not readily accepted by all. Most notably, the Silk Guild openly expressed hostility towards the rebel group because of the Varden's production of extrodinarily cheap lace to earn money for the campaign and food. Spies in Aberon While the Varden were in Aberon, the Surdan capital, Nasuada was attacked by an Imperial magician associated with a group of spies and magicians known as the Black Hand. Thanks to Elva, the Varden were able to kill two members of the Hand, though the organization would remain a threat to the Varden throughout the course of the war. The Siege of Carvahall In order to gain information about the location of Eragon, Galbatorix sent agents to Eragon's hometown of Carvahall to interrogate Eragon's cousin, Roran. When the people of Carvahall refused to give Roran up to the Empire, fighting erupted. Roran led the small militia army against the Imperial forces, among whom were the Ra'zac. The people of Carvahall were able to hold out for many days, but following the arrival of more Imperial troops, Roran managed to convince much of the population of Carvahall to leave the town and cross through The Spine to a port city called Narda. They then sailed to Teirm using barges, where Roran and the villagers pirated an Imperial ship called the Dragon Wing and set sail for Surda. The Elves Enter the War Shortly before the Second Battle of The Burning Plains, the elves chose to enter the war on the side of the Varden. Previously, they were hesitant to enter the war because when Arya was kidnapped by Durza the queen refused any outside communication until she was sure that Arya was alive and there was a new rider willing to fight against the Empire. The Battle of The Burning Plains ]] The Empire again tried to stomp out the rebellion, this time at The Burning Plains, also known as Du Völlar Eldrvarya by the elves. An army of conscripted humans, under the command of Murtagh, was sent to attack the Varden and their Surdan allies. Just prior to the battle, the Varden allied themselves with a group of their former enemies, the Urgals, who desired vengeance for the wrongs perpetrated against them by the Empire. Thanks to the timely arrival of men from Carvahall and a dwarf army under King Hrothgar, the battle resulted in another victory for the resistance, though great losses were sustained by both sides. Hrothgar himself died at the hands of Murtagh. Siege of Ceunon The elves, now an active combatant in the war, headed to Ceunon. Their spellcasters destroyed the gates of the city and the elves poured in, killing countless humans and destroying many lands and homes. Lord Tarrant of Ceunon resisted fiercely, but in the end the elves were victorious. Murtagh's raid Murtagh Morzansson, most powerful of all the Empire's magicians and warriors, and his dragon Thorn led a raid to destroy the Varden. They battled Eragon and Saphira, while 300 of Murtagh's soldiers fought the Varden. Murtagh and Thorn were far beyond Eragon's ability to defeat, but with the aid of Arya and twelve other elf spellcasters, Eragon and Saphira managed to drive Murtagh and Thorn off. Murtagh swore that he would return, more powerful then ever, and defeat Eragon and Saphira then. During and shortly after this, his soldiers were all killed. However, because they had been manipulated biologically to resist pain, they inflicted grave casualties on the Varden before being defeated, and even wounded King Orrin. Nasuada considered the skirmish a painful defeat, even though the enemy force was wiped out. Siege of Feinster In order to advance further into the Empire, Nasuada sent warriors south to captured Aroughs, while she attacked Feinster with King Orrin's force. They Varden attacked for three days, but could not break Feinster. Finally, when Eragon and Saphira arrived, the gates were opened from within, though it nearly cost the Varden several elves, including Arya and Blödhgarm. Once the gates were open, the Varden ransacked the city, burning houses, stealing and pilaging anything they could find, and killing anyone in their path. The soldiers of Feinster were steadily beaten back. A group of Imperial magicians sworn to serve Murtagh and Galbatorix hatched a plan to throw the Varden back. In order to destroy the Varden, no matter the cost, they created a Shade known as Varaug and sent him upon the Varden. He proved to be more than a match for Eragon, but was slain by the combined efforts of Eragon and Arya. Because she struck the final blow, Arya became a Shadeslayer. After the Shade and most of the soldiers had been defeated, Lady Lorana of Feinster surrendered, and Feinster was captured by the Varden. Battle for Gil'ead After capturing Ceunon, the elves targeted Gil'ead. They battled and seemed to overwhelm the Imperial forces at Gil'ead, but Murtagh and Thorn arrived on the scene, a beacon of hope to the people of Gil'ead and a shadow of doom for the elves. With Murtagh's enormous power, Thorn's incredible speed and strength, and some assistance from Galbatorix himself, the pair struck down Oromis and Glaedr, simultaneously dealing a titanic blow to the morale of the elves. Despite the deaths of Oromis and Glaedr the elves sucessfully captured Gil'ead as mentioned in the last chapter of Brisingr. What happened to Murtagh and Thorn after the deaths of Oromis and Glaedr is unknown, but it is most likely that Murtagh and Thorn either returned to the capital or withdrew from Gil'ead to avoid being captured Sides of the War The Empire In the Empire, support for Galbatorix wavered during the course of the war, while hatred for the Imperial government grew in the north. As the Empire was confident that they would achieve a quick and easy victory, Imperial citizens initially supported the war, but after the Empire suffered two defeats, support for the war waned. Some, however, still viewed the Empire and its king as a savior and protector, and the Varden as terrorists and crimelords who should be punished. Varden Fear of reprisals from the Empire prevented other nations from joining the Varden's alliance; this became one of the rebels' biggest obstacles. In Surda, many of the people feared that they would face destruction if they openly aided the Varden. Moreover, many elves and dwarves did not feel obligated to help with what they considered the humans' own problem. Those who supported the Varden's war effort sought to rid the world of Galbatorix's evil and tyranny. Dragons Before the war, only one healthy dragon remained: Galbatorix's black dragon, Shruikan. After the discovery of Saphira by Eragon, however, a new Dragon Rider entered the war on the side of the Varden. Later, a crimson dragon named Thorn hatched for Murtagh. Both Thorn and Murtagh were forced to swear allegiance to Galbatorix in the Ancient Language. Eragon wanted to find a mate for Saphira to restore the once-glorious Dragon Riders. Galbatorix, on the other hand, wanted Saphira, the last female dragon in existence, to mate either with Thorn or the yet-unhatched green dragon, and thus establish his own group of Riders. During the Rider War Eragon was instructed on the ways of the dragon riders by a crippled rider Oromis, and Saphira was instructed by Oromis's crippled dragon Glaedr. Major battles *Mission to Urû'baen *Great Ambush *Mission in Du Weldenvarden *Battle under Farthen Dûr *Raid in Aberon *Battle of Carvahall *Battle of The Burning Plains *Battle of Feinster Probable future battles The following are battles that are likely to occur in Book 4 *The Battle of Dras-Leona (The Empire versus The Varden, and dwarves) *The Battle of Belatona (The Empire versus The Varden, dwarves) *The Battle of Urû'baen (The Empire versus The Varden, Urgals, dwarves, and elves) *The Battle of Bullridge, Teirm or Narda (The Empire versus elves) Real-world connections Trivia *An actual name for the war in the Inheritance cycle is never given. *The Varden and their supporters have never lost a major battle, despite the fact that the Empire is far superior in numbers. See also *Eragon *The Empire *Varden *Imperial Army es:Guerra de Jinetes Category:Conflicts